Stream-unifying apparatus



July 9, 1929. J. w. SMITH STREAM UNIFYING PPARATUS Filed April 5, 1926 l/V/////////// /v//v////.7/////7////////f//f////Vw/////////7//// f////////MW/////////fM//b///// NN WITNESSI' l' Patented July 9, 1929.

JOHN WILLIAM SMITH, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

STREAM-UNIFYING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 5,

One of the leading objects of the present invention is to provide meanswhereby to etfectively treat a {iowing stream of air previously chargedWith a cornininuted liquid fuel, 'for thereby producing and maintaining(during the flowage thereof in a tubular conduit) a highly uniformquality of admixture and distribution, while continuously restoring tothe central stream such materials as may normally tend to segregate orseparate outwardly therein or therefrom during such ilowage. Y

A further object of the present improvements is to furnish conduitsv forsubjecting a forwardly Howing and charged stream ot' air or other gas,during the passage thereof through or along in the conduit, to aunifying treatment or conditioning process for increasing' therein theuniformity of the distribution therein of comminuted ingredients withwhich the stream shall have been charged; and, to accomplish thisobject, together with a further comminuting and interassociation (orinterblending) of a liquid or vaporiZa-ble ingredient, while the chargedstream is flowing with a uniform velocity or pressure or both, or withaccelerations or retardations of velocity, or both, or with fluctuationsof pressure; and, also, whether the said stream, dur- ,ing a period otoperation,shall be continuous or intermittent in the forward owagcthereof. i

A further object is to provide apparatus for such service as ustdescribed, by the use of some of the cruder and less costly. of thepetroleum elements, or mixtures thereof, and which are not readilycompletely comminuted by the appliances usually employed yfor atomizingthe lighter and less viscous of the liquid fuels, such as ordinarykerosene and gasoline. The said cruder petroleum products, as is wellknown, comprise ay variety of kinds and qualities, and some of these,when in the form of globules carried along in the air, supply stream,require for their effective comminuting, an intensive impacting anddisintegrative treatment. This will be evident when it is consideredhow, when the air-.stream is inin tially charged with such fuels inspray form, the globules ot' the liquid as distributed into the saidstream, necessarily have', however minute they may be, a wide rangeas tosizes and weights.

This present application is in part in .the nature of a continuance ofmy prior appli- 1926. Serial No. 99,885.

cation for patent on mixing devices, which has become Patent No.1,584,046, dated May Fig. 1 is a `longitudinal sectional view of aconduit embodying the said improvement disclosed in mv Patent No.1,584,046 extended into a series of combinations operable forunityingthe condition of the forwardly Howing central stream, as hereinaftermore fully explained; in this view, three Zone tubes Z1, Z2, Z3, areshown assembled within a larger conduit tube, D.

Fig. 2 is a diagram for illustrating the explanation regarding thesegregative tendency ot the heavier fluid globules, as hereinafterfurther explained.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conduit length, D2, havingtherein a special arrangement of the annuli, these having a mode ofaction hereinafter more fully described, for maintaining the conditionof the central stream while this is rapidly flowing within a more slowlyadvancing stream-enclosing gaseous tube-Wall.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrative of certain ot the dynamic andglobule-treating features of the conduit constructions described inconnection with Figs. 1 and 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagram drawn showing a portion of Fig. l, somewhatenlarged, for further illust-rating the complex inter-flowages ofmaterials in and forming the central stream and its Wing-streams` ashereinafter described in connection with the preceding figures.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the views.

In considering the operation of this class of conduit apparatus, itshould be remembered that it is well-known that when a full size streamflows along normally in that. part ot' a conduit which hasa. uniformsectional area, there is naturally (in accordance with wellknownphysical laws) a higher rate of. movement in the centerzone of thestream than at or near the outer surface of the stream. Thus in theimproved apparatus herein described, the resistance afforded as againstthe forward movement of the outer part ofthe stream, by the use 4of aconcentric series of incisor de vices or blades, operates to retardthismovement, and this restriction tendsbo centralize the liowage andthus accelerate the forward velocit-v et the central portion of thestleam, (as at S, Fig. 1), thereby producing a greater than normaldifference in rate of flow as between the forward velocities of theinner and outer portions respectively of the flowing materials.V

Y One well-known effect of that mode of flowage is herein illustrateddiagrammatically in F ig. 2, where a heavier body. or droplet, as 5,carried in a fioating manner in the outer portion of the stream, isgradually carried outwardly, and thus into a slower moving outer zoneand against tube surface l0. This progressive segregative action thusleads such droplet from an initial position, through a curved path, onthe principle indicated by dotted line, 7d, to a linal position, as at5f, against the 'tube wall.

The improved stream-treating conduit herein more fully illustratedinFig. l, may be associated with the apparatus illustrated in my PatentNo. 1,584,046. It should, however, beV understood that for suitablysupplying the said conduit of Fig. l with initiallycharged air in properquantity and grade of admiXture, any of the well-known kinds ofliquid-spraying devices, these including jetpumps and carburetors, maybe used, these being suitably proportional, connected and operatedtherefor.

' In the aforesaid disintegrative treatments, Vhere more particularlydescribed in connection with Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the modes of act-ionfollow the principles illustrated in my Patent No. 1,584,046.

The described operation illustrated in my Patent No. 1,584.046, wherebythe heavier bodies in the outer zone of the main stream, may be drivenoutward and then intercepted by impact against flat inclined surfacesfor their further disintegration and diffusion, is indicated as beinginitially accomplished in the lconduit shown in Fig. l, by the morewidely spaced-apart interceptor members, or annuli, as 28, 28a, 28h, and28, each of the interceptor members constituting a circumferentialseries of dispersive interceptors, and the several interceptor members28, 28a. 28b and 28c constituting a successive seriesl or plurality ofcircumferential series. These circumferential series are furthermorearranged in sets, see Fig. l, the series formed on the section Z1constituting one set, the series on the section Z2 constituting anotherset, the series von the'section Z3 constituting still another set, andso on according to the length of the conduit to be provided. On thefurther advance along this conduit, said bodies havy `ing been partiallyreduced, naturally are more quickly thrown outward, and hence in themid-length Zone, Z2, the said interceptors vmayhave a more abruptangular position and may be placed more frequently; and, on the sameprinciple, are shown placed in a still closer and more abrupt relation(and in rielatively greater numbers in a given tube length), in theterminal zone, Z3, of said conduit, for there subjecting the alreadyhighly (service. y certain furnaces, the air supply must be in-` stages,respectively, of their progressive reduction. Y A

For convenience, only three of the tubelength Zones are shown in Fig. 1,these being contained preferably in a conduit pipe, as shown; but itwill be evident a larger number maybe used, and may also be arranged inlonger conduits, to suitably provide for the requirements in anyparticular class of For instance, in the operation of creased anddiminished from time to time, and also the degree of the fuel-chargingthereof. These conditions are met in a particularly effective manner bythis multi-Zone conduit system. in` which the variations in the velocityand int-ensity of the flowagc, and,

in the distribution of the actions longitudinally of the said Zones, areautomatically modilied, and for harmonious and eil'c :tive coaction,(these features are hereinafter more fully explained).

In Fig. 5, the angularly-disposed interceptors 28 are arranged in aseries, and separated longitudinally of the conduit lo form between themthe relatirelylong merging chambers, 80, and 80h, A:md fuuction in themanner elsewhere herein described, more in detail. In this view, Fig. 5,a series of fiowage lines are shown for graphically indicating in adiagrammatic` and approximate manner, how the successi'fe members of thesaid series of interceptors coact for meeting the several conditionsant. purposes of the system. For instance, a globule, as 5, starting online 6, may pass between two interceptor-s in the annulus at 28, and becarried against the next interceptor 28a as the droplet 5 or, in passingsaid interceptor 28, said globule. may follow a line about as shown at6'), and thus be finally impacted at 5b against the more advancedinterceptor 28b of the said se f* of them. In a similar manner the linesT, 7b, and 7. representa variety of flowage paths which may occur asregards the movements of entrained particles or globules, or of por`tions of flowing material comprised in the main-stream, or startingforwardin or near to one or another of the wing-streams thereof; but, inall such cases, it will now be dent, that the interceptor annuli, andthe blade-members thereof, are positioned and operable for concurrentlycoacting in or by pairs, as 28 and 28, oi 28a and 2li". and that suchcoaction also extends to triples ther-eof, and that these varyingllowages and ccite act-ions, may. be continually occurring and herepeated, in such varying ways at different-` points throughout thelength of the interceptor system, andthroughout the circumferences ofthe several annuli of inter.- ceptor members.

Thus the deflective paths and flights of the said heavier bodies arecontinuously modified by the fluctuating pressure and enlarging of thecentral stream, and by the ex- Icess of this velocity of the centralstream S, over the advance of the material comprised within themerging-zone, so that many of these bodies will normally be carried indifferently modified paths, and thereby distributed to and amongsuccessive annuli and their intervening chamber-spaces, and so that aquantity of these bodies initially deflected at or near some one saidannulus, are finally or further, treated, some at a next or near-hyannulus, and others at one or another annulus and chamber-space atvarious distances in advance of the point of said initial treat-- ment.Inv many such instances a relatively soft globule, as 5f, Fig. 3, may beimpacted against an interceptor face under a streampressure sufficientto spread the material thereof into a film, which by the force of theflowage of said'stream, will be spread out and thinned down, and sobe-blown olf the edges of the said face, and he thereby forced into aforming wing-stream in a line state of subdivision.

For further illustrating the said disintegrative processes indicated asdescribed in connection with Fig.V 3, a cross-sectional, or end view ofan interceptor annulus is shown in Fig. 4, being there located in axialalinement with Fig. 3, as indicated by line 6G. In this view (Fig. 4)the interceptors, as 28, are shown as being, in this instance, of atriangular shape and with the points 28e thereof extending towardv thecenter, andv beyond a line 10b that corresponds with the zone-line 10`inFig. 3; also, the several interceptors are here shown placedk closetogether at their outer ends, thereby forming, in the outer portion ofthe chamber-zone C (of Fig. 3), a substantially or nearly continuousimpactive Zone or Wall, whereby to limit or reduce the forward flowagein this outer '/ione, and thus coact in determining the character andextent of the peculiarly complex and tumultuous inter-lowages withinsaid chamber C. The drop or globule 5t" shown in Fig. 8,. also theglobule 5, are here shown in positions, and by lines designated by thesame characters as in Fig. 3, so that by comparison, the operation anddispersing thereof may be more readily perceived.

In the` segregative manner alreadyy described, many of the smallparticles of the usual spray-form air-charge of liquid fuel, may bebrought to the tube-surface, and be thus carried along in a relativelysedimentary condition. One such particle, assumed to be of a resist-antcharacter, is indicated at 5 in Fig. 3, as having arrived at theentrance end of the first conduit zone, corresponding to zone or portionZ1 of Fig. l, and there impacted, at` 5a', against the surface of aninterceptor blade 28, and thence diverted, and thus thrown back into amore central portion of the main-stream. Instead of this directness ofaction, such a body may pass (be carried in a wing-stream) betweeninterceptor bla( es in one or more circuits of them, and thus come intocontact with a more advanced interceptor, as at 5f; and instead of beingthen thrown back bodily into the mainstream, this body may be onlyslightly resistant, (or of a small size and highly fluid character), andbe disintegrated into a sprayform of a finely divided character, asindicated by the dotted lines leading up from said position 5f. In thisgeneral manner, the described impactive, disintegrative, dispersive anddiffusive actions occur rapidly and at many points in close successionand many of them simultaneously, and are continuously distributed andrepeated throughout the extent of the interceptor system.

In Fig. 4, the tube D2 is shown provided with an annular series of theinterceptor blades 28 (or an annulus thereof) which are shown inedge-views thereof and so designated in Figs. 1 and 3. Saidinterceptors, or blades, as 28, are exposed to the oncomingmixture-stream, and this stream, in being forced through such an annulusof pointed blades, is thereby shaped in cross-section, as indicated inFig. 4, into the form of a wingstream, as at 29a. For this purpose, thepassages, as 29, between said blades 28, operate as channels for theseries of the non-contiguous outer portions, or wings, of themain-stream which, on passing through the said annulus (as 28, Fig. l),enter into the chamber space 80, just forward thereof and back of thenext annulus, as 28, and are there merged into, and with, the mass ofmaterials in this merging chamber, and are thereby interblended, andviolently admixtured in the described tumultuous manner; and thisprocess is repeated at each succeeding annulusof the series of them andso results in producing to the required uniformity of distribution inthe stream, of all. the materials thereof. For more clearly indicatingthe character of said wing-streams, the upper portion of the stream isshown in Fig. 4 as being shaded, as at S', to indicate the unity of thecentral stream with said wing-stream thereof.

Said interceptor blades, 28, are shown in Fig. 4 as having straightside-lines, or edges.v and with sharp points` and also of a width attheir bases, at the circle, to come close together. This form of faceoutline, has the advantage of being readily delineated. and also of aform convenient to construct, but it has a tendency, in some instances,to prevent afsuieientrate of forward flow of the surgemass between thelines f1, f2, (Fig. l), and to provide against this objection it willgenerally be preferable so to make or shape the annulus as to have somespaceibetween said blades at the said outer and wider ends thereof. lnthis preferable construction, the said blade edges ma y be made curved,or otherwise deviate sutiiciently from the said triangular form, therebyto secure a moderate space between the adjacent said blades at the outerends thereof. The nature of this feature is illustrated in Fig. 4, inone said form there of, by showing two of said blades, as 28x, made withthe curved edge-line formation there shown, so that two adjacent saidinterceptors have between them the space at the said circle 10ft. Bymeans of such a modification, extended preferably to the entire seriesof an annulus. and the parts being properly proportioned for therequirements in any given instance, (as may be readily found by trial),an undue restriction of said surge-stream rate of flowage at theconduitsurface can be effectively prevented or regulated.

A series of the interceptor blades arranged circumferentially in theconduit, or in any tubular space or chamber, is regarded as constitutingan annulus. For simplicity of illustration, these ann'uli are herein-indicated by showing in the longitudinal sectional views, only two ofthat series of blades of any one annulus, one blade being shown at theupper side, and another at the lower side of the said space or chamber,the other blades of such annulus being omitted.

Also, for simplicity as stated, the said interceptors are shown as ifformed integrally with thev tube or wall from which they inwardlyproject; in practice, however, any suitable and convenient mode ofconstruction may be adopted for the said purpose. For instance, the Zonetubes Z1, J2, and Zi", of Fig. l, may be made together with the annulithereof, by the well-known die-casting method; or, the annuli blades, ormembers, may be made separate from the said tubes and afterward attachedthereto by welding, riveting, or otherwise, according tothe size andcharacter of the apparatus; these explanations apply also torapparatusof the forms and arrangements indicated in Figs. 3 andV 5. A preferablemode of organizing the said members,

for use in some kinds of service, is to form each series of the bladesintegral. with a ring of suitable size and width, and assemble theseannuli rings in a tube or holder, in a manner analogous tothe assemblingof the tubes, or rings, Z1, Z2, and Z3, in the apparatus of Fi l; and, afurther improvement for such purpose constitutes subject-matter 'in aseparate application to be copending herewith.

An important feature of the saidV wingstream forming and operatingisthelocation of the outer-edges ofthe said wings, close to the conduit-wallinner face l0, and the enclosing of the merge-mass in the chamber, as atubular mass held against and within said inner face l0 while heldoutwardly by the pressure of the. central portion of the stream, so thatat the forming as described of the wing-stream the material of thestream as Va whole is crowded inward by the said annulus, as 28a, (Fig.l), thereby modifying the path or location of the iiowage lines, as f1,which indicate a normally fluctuating stream velocity at successivepoints therein on the principle indicated by the inward curves of theselines as will be clear from the delineations thereof in Fig. 1; And,owing to the said formation of said wings, the-se have a greatlyextended surface (as compared with the circumference of the tube-surfacel0), and thus on passing through an annulus, interblend with themerge-mass by a greatly extended surface contact with the materialthereof. Also, while these processes are continuing during the forwardflow of the eentral stream, S, the faces of said interceptors continueto act as dispersive devices in the manner and for the disintegrativepurposes as elsewhere herein more fully explained. Thus the outer zoneof the stream `is shaped into the sectionally pointed form illustrated,(see Fig. 4), then passes into the interblending stage, and is thenreshaped into a newlyforined series of wing-streams which again flowforward and are destroyed by the interblended material, theseVoperations being repeated as many times as the material and the finalconditioning thereof may require.

Vhen the air-supply is initially charged, either in part or wholly, witha iinely divided, or comminuted fuel-spray, this may normally tend togather in the stream, at or near to, and flow along close to or againstthe inner surface of the mainstream, conduit, as for instance, againstthe tube-surface at 10a, (Fig.

Thus said fuel-spray is led into the enlarged and annular chamber spaceC, here indi cated byits inside line 10.,and is therein carried alongagainst and among the numerous interceptor surfaces, passing on from oneto another, and by contact therewith under the attritional action due tothe complex in` tertlowagcs produced b v said surfaces and theirintervening` spaces Ain the eontentof this chamber, until the whole ofsuch comminuted air-charge becomes reduced to such extremely smalldroplets, that these are not capable of being thrown or divertedinto'the mainstream .by a detlective projecting thereof away from theinterceptor surfaces, so that these surfaces under suchconditions canonly act mainly by the Vfilming method of liquid disintegration. Forutilizing this`limiting, orrestrictivecondition in a. favorable manner,the said chamber C, may be made of such lOl) lll)

length and proportions as necessary in any particular instance, andmaybe inserted in a pipe-line at intervals, andthus each may constitutea stream-surrounding and v.tubular merging-chamber wherein .to.accomplish the completion of the. air-changing process. In practice, ofcourse, in such cases, the VVpipe-.line fittings will be selected andarranged for suitably connecting the several parts; such requirementsand methods being well-known to mechanics, do not need to be heredescribed in detail. This merging-chamber system isalso especiallyapplicable as the terminal zone, as Z3, inconduits of the class andarrangementillustrated in Fig. l; :and these, in practice maybeseparatein construction, and connected by .plain tubes of suitable lengths anddiameters.

rIlhedescribed lforward.iowagesofthe materials in the merging-chambers,as 80, 80b,.of the iirst conduit zone, designated by Zl in Fig. l, are.there .relatively free and rapid owing Lto .the considerable distanceapart, longitudinally of the conduit, of the several annuli,.28, 28 and281?. The corresponding distances in the next following zone, as Z2, arermaterially less, as clearly shown by the lines of the drawing, -whilethe several interceptor faces, are also clearly shown -as being Iplacedonfa steeper angle, thereby reducingthe normal rate of said forwardHowage in-the surge-chamberof said zone Z?, as compared with that insaidpriorzone Z1. A further reductionoflthe same kind is herein shown asbeing made as between the said equipment of -zone Za as compared withthat of zone Z2, since inthe former of theselzones, Z3,'the annuli areplaced still nearer to each other, vwhile theinterceptor :faces areshown located on a still-steeper and more resistant angle,-so 'that the4surge-mass owage is further resisted in passing from zone Z2 into andthrough zone Z3. One important result obtained bythe meanshere'described, is to causethe surge-mass at the end of one zone, asfZ1or Z?,.to meet with a partial stoppage, or yresistance whereby toforcethe streamvof material yconstituting that mass, `to tend toaccumulate a surplus and pressure at said position and so .be 'forcedinwardly and so lbe merged more rapidly into theouter part of theforwardly-flowing central stream; thus the materials of thesetwo streams(initially comprised in one stream.) are-thereby'reassociated into asingle main-stream.

The aforesaid successive reduction in the rate of flowage inthesurge-stream, is illustrated in Fig. 1, as being'provided for Vat onlytwo points, as stated; but, in practice, said zones, as Z1, andfollowing may be made of'less length, also of greater number, and may beconstructed as a continuously-reducing series of lengths for thewholelen h of the conduit-tube. However', the use o only a few ofsaidsurge-.flow-resisting means, has

the practical advantage of intensifying those resistances,;and theconsequent gforce of the over-How, or outward back-flow,-intothe centralstream.

In the described merging-chamber system when arranged as in Figs. yl and3, the normal size of the main stream may be considered as correspondingto the diameter, d to Hof the inlet tube, (Fig. 1), and as thenfollowing along in accordance with the principle illustrated by thedotted flowage-lines-f, f1, and lf2 to the discharge end. This chamber,(as C, Fig. 3), is thus much longer than the said inletetube and themainstream-diameter 80 thatthe points, as 28, Fig. 4, of the numerousinterceptor blades, project slightly into an outer zone of said centralfree-flowing and continuous main-stream, andthus act-to agitate,orstir,-the material of this outer streamzone. Said interceptors beingplaced in the annular arrangement-shown, (Fig. 4), and the interceptorannu'liso kformedibeing closely following each other in said chamber C,

F'g. 3, the chamber-'zones become filled 'with a gaseous content (in thenature of an intermediate and adjunctive stream) normally having, as-awhole, only a slow formed'movenient, -while kept in a state of surge, orintel mixturing iowage; this surging action also obtains in the saidouter zones (as f to f2, Fig. l) ofthe main-stream which, however,.owsforwardly more rapidly. VThus the said main-stream is relieved from theusual resistance friction of a fixed tube-surface, and has a pecular andimportant mode of coaction with the actively inter-flowing jmaterial ofthe said outer surge-zone, (this bein -in "F ig. lbetweenthe .lines andfil), where ythere is aconstant exchange of such material, from each ofsaid zones to the other-one thereof. In this-manner, the material withwhich the air within1thesurge-chamber (or blending chambers) maybecharged, and which may be reduced to a true mistl or vapor,becomescontinnously charged intothe central-streamby an inter-exchangingof the substances thereof, so y.that this restoration, or re-supplylngto the main-stream of segregated materials is effected withoutthe aid-ofany moment-um of such transferred particles, and hence -is eifectivelyaccomplished notwithstandin the attainment of a truly vaporizedcondition of the air-charge.

From the foregoing description, it will now be evident howthepresentfimprovements and equipment arranged in the amplified form andorganization illustrated in Figs. land 3, constitutes a means for, andthe operation thereof, a method for eliminating, (during Vthe period ofinterhlending) ,-.theztube-surface adherent-flowage which otherwisenormally occurs while the main stream flowsiin contact .with the innertube-surface of aninclosing conduit tube; and how the said methodconsists in forming in a mainstream-enclosing annular chamber, a tubularsurge-layer of gas restricted in forward movement bydispersive-interceptors arranged in closely following series, and theseso proportioned and located ythereby to produce a continuous surgingaction throughout,thelength of said annular chamber, and forcontinuously therein first interchanging material from the mainstreamouter Zone to the surge-stream inner Zone and at the same time from thesurgestream inner zone into said outer Zone of the main-stream, and alsocontinuing by impact and projection the throwing of unreduced aircharge'material from the said chamberstream into the interior of themain-stream. Having' thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a stream unifying apparatus, the combination with aninitial'conduit, of a main stream unifying conduit forming acontinuation of said ini'tialconduit and having a greater inner diameterthan the inner diameter 'of said initial conduit, dispersiveinterceptors arranged in aplurality of circumferential seriesin saidmain stream unifying conduitand forming a main stream channel and anannular tubular area surrounding said channel, the diameter of the mainstream channel conforming' substantiallly to the diameter of saidinitial conduit, the successive series-being spaced from one another adistance less than the diameter of said main stream conduit, the seriesbeing also arranged in sets, the distance between lsuccessive series ofsuccessive sets progressively decreasing as they recede from saidinitial conduit Y 2. In a stream unifying apparatus, the combinationwithan initial conduit, of a main stream unifying conduit forming acontinnation of said initial conduit and having a greater inner diameterthan the inner diameter of said initial conduit, dispersive interceptorsarranged in a plurality of circumferential series in said main streamunifying conduit, the series4 being spaced from one another by annularmerging chambers to form an annular tubular chamber and an inner mainstream channel .surrounded by said annular tubular chamber7 the seriesbeing` also Varranged in sets, the distances between the successiveseries of each set being spaced from one another at a different distancerelative to the spaces between the successive series of the other sets,the sets being arranged in Va progressive order so that the sets havingthe greater spaces are nearest to the initial conduit.

' 3. In a stream unifying apparatus, the combination with a main streamunifying conduit havingtherein a main stream channel, of a plurality ofannular sections disposed in said conduit, dispersive interceptors in aplurality of circumferential,series and extendn ng'inwardly from saidsections to form an annular tubular chamber surrounding said main streamchannel, the distance between the successive series of each sectionbeing spaced from one anotherat a-different distance relative to thespaces between the successive series of the other sections, the sectionsbeing arranged in a progressive order so that the stream will beprogressively engaged by the sections having the series arranged closerto one another.

e. In a stream unifying apparatus, the combination with a main streamunifying conduit having therein a main stream channel, of a plurality ofannular sections disposed in said conduit, dispersive interceptors in aplurality of circumferential series and extending inwardly from said Ysections to form an annular tubular chamber surrounding said main streamchannel, the interceptors extending inwardly from the periphery of sai-dsections and at acute angles to form abrupt impacting faces, the anglesof the interceptors of each section being different relative totheangles of the interceptors of the other sections, the sections beingarranged in a progressive order so that the stream will be progressivelyengaged by the sections having the steeper angles.

5. In a stream unifying apparatus, the combination with a main streamunifying conduit having therein a main stream channel, of a plurality ofannular sections disposed in said conduit, dispersive interceptors inaplurality of circumferential series and extending inwardly from saidsections at'acute angles to form abrupt impacting faces and an annulartubular chamber surrounding said main stream channel, the distancebetween the successive series of each section being spaced from oneanother at a different distance relative to the spaces between thesuccessive series of the other sections, the anglesv made with thesections by the interceptors of each section being different relative tothe angles made by the interceptors with the other sections, and thesections being arranged in progressive order so that the stream will beengaged by the sections having the series arranged closer to one anotherin a progressive order and engaged by the sections having the steeperangles with the interceptors in a progressive order.

6. In a stream unifying apparatus, the com,- bination with a main streamunifying conduit having therein a main stream channel, of a plurality ofannular sections disposed in said conduit with successive sectionshaving their abutting ends engaging one another and Lthus positioningthem, said conduit having an inner periphery in size and dimensioncorresponding to the outer periphery of said annular sections to receiveand positively position said annular sections against lateraldisplacement and dispersive interceptor blades formed on said-sectionsin a plurality *of circumllO ferential series and extending inwardlyfrom each of said 4sections to form an annular tubular ehainbersurrounding said main stream channel.

7. In a streain unifying apparatus, the combi nation with a inain streamunifying conduit having therein a main streain channel, of a pluralityoi" annular sections disposed in said conduit with successive sectionshaving their abutting ends engaging one another and thus positioningthein, and dispersive interceptor blades formed in a plurality ofcircumferential series and extending inwardly from said sections toforni an annular tubular chamber surronnding said inain stream channel,the distance between the successive series of each section being spacedfrom one another at a difierent distance relative to the spaces betweenthe successive series of the other Seetions, the sections being arrangedin progressive order so that the stream will be engaged by the sectionshaving the series arran ed closer to one another in a progressive or er.

JOHN WILLIAM SMITH.

